Goldpaw Girls
by PastelSpooks
Summary: A string of murders begins in Goldpaw, and nobody feels safe anymore. The guards haven't the slightest idea who's doing it, all of the victims are completely unrelated. Esther and Cassiopeia team up with Tani, Bracken and Li Li to find out who's behind this atrocity. they called themselves the Goldpaw Girls. Rated M for violence and descriptions of bodies and their causes of death.
1. Chapter 1

The strong midsummer heat of the Genie Steps beat down on the five as they wandered aimlessly, trying to find whatever it was this mysterious woman from Ding Dong Dell had asked them to retrieve. The only reason they had agreed to do it in the first place was because there was a huge amount of guilders in it for them, which was why Cassiopeia had agreed to come along with them. The only clue they had gotten was "you'll know when you see it." What was that even supposed to mean? they would soon find out, or perhaps they wouldn't.

The group came to a particularly large step, which Esther attempted to climb up, but she failed. Marcassin gave it a try, failing also. Swaine rolled his eyes and gave a groan. He approached the step, pushing the babana girl and his little brother out the way. "Jesus Christ, Guess I'll have to show you _ladies_ how it's done," he scoffed, aware that his brother was male. Esther had an expression of annoyance on her face, while Marcassin only shook it off. His brother made fun of him often, he was used to it by now. Swaine took a running jump towards the ledge, grabbed onto the top, and hauled himself up. He put his hand down, and Oliver took hold of it while Swaine hauled him up. Oliver then did the same for Esther, who took hold of Marcassin's hand. Cassiopeia cussed under her breath. _Why does _he _have to be the one that helps me up?_ She was shaking ever so slightly. "C'mon Cassie, my arm's getting tired." Cassiopeia snapped out of her little trance as the sound of Marcassin's voice. She grabbed onto his hand, and he grabbed hers. Their eyes met, but she forced her gaze away. She wondered if her face was as red as it felt, she hoped not. Once the whole crew was up, they continued their long walk. Swaine glanced behind him, in Esther's general direction. "Got any food, Esthercake?" he asked. Esther rolled her eyes, and threw him a bag of candies, which he caught. "Eat all of them and people will watch your body get scooped out of the ocean." Swaine chuckled. "Yeah, alright then."

"Doesn't she say that every day?" Oliver chimed in.

"Yep, you bet she does." Swaine looked back towards Esther. "What's wrong sweetheart? Can't bring yourself to hurt this little old thug?"

He chuckled at his comment, along with Oliver, and even Cassie gave a little giggle when she saw Esther's pink cheeks. Marcassin only tried to get his attention away from her. "C'mon," he said, "Don't play with her like that."

"Guys, there's a cave over there." Oliver changed the subject.

"You what?" Swaine said with about three candies in his mouth as he squinted into the distance, trying to find what Oliver had seen. Mr. Drippy suddenly poked his head out of Oliver's Backpack. "Ya' think that's where it's at, mun?" Marcassin jumped in shock at the fairy's voice. Swaine laughed at him. You couldn't see, but there were slight tears in the prince's eyes. Marcassin was a cry-baby to say the least, and he had once jumped at his own shadow. He was polite, quiet and shy, but everybody loved him how he was. Drippy always thought that was the reason him and Oliver got along so well: they were similar. Oliver started walking faster towards the entrance of the cave, causing the rest of the group to pick up their speed too.

When they reached the cave, they all entered. But they could all tell that something was off, like passing through a barrier. Cassiopeia was the first to say something. "Was it just me or did that feel...I don't know... weird?" Marcassin shrugged. "Yeah, a little." He fixed his bluenette hair, which was in a messy bun so the back of his neck wouldn't get as hot. "It almost seemed like... we changed worlds, but that's impossible. The Genie Steps are right out there. He motioned towards the entrance of the cave, where they had just come in. The five continued through the cave, not knowing that a whole new story was about to begin.

_Hi guys! Thanks so much for reading the first official chapter of "Goldpaw Girls"! I really hope you're enjoying is as much as I am writing it. I'm sorry for shipping Cassie with Marcassin, I read a book THAT LITTERALLY WASN'T EVEN ABOUT THEM BUT IT HAD THIS ONE CUTE SCENE NOW I JUST AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! For real tho, they will probably be shipped in this fic, however it will not revolve around them so if you don't ship them you can probably ignore it. also SWESTHER _

_Anyway thanks for reading! STAY GOLD DARLINGS!_


	2. Chapter 2

It was a fairly quiet afternoon in Evermore. Li Li had been busy with her magic research at Evermore Spellworks since dawn. I'd didn't bother her, she loved magic, and had a knack for it at that. She was pleased with her progress so far, she truly felt that another day or so and it would be done. It didn't take long for her to become aware of how sweaty she was, and her aching back and paws. _Better call it a day,_ she thought. She began organizing and putting away the ancient magic resource books and put her wand into her back pocket.

The cave was long, boring and repetitive. There wasn't anything inside, it was almost like a long tunnel. Cassiopeia had been listening to Esther ramble on about whatever it was, she wasn't even listening in the first place. She would occasionally nod or say "yeah", but she didn't mean it. Her blue eyes were fixed on the sweet nothing in front of her. Her whole body ached, and there was a pounding in her head. She didn't quite remember what day it was, or why they were even there in the first place. Her thoughts of nothing were shattered.

"Cassie? Cassie... are you good?"

She snapped out of it. "What?"

It was Marcassin. He was standing next to her. "You just... stopped walking, stood here and stared at this wall."

"O-Oh... sorry." She said and continued on her walk.

"She's just tired Marc, She's fine, I'm sure." Swaine hollered from the back of the group, who had been dragging his feet for the past fifteen minutes. Oliver on the other hand, was at the front of the group, and was determined to find whatever it was this cave was hiding, or at least the exit. Esther gave a long sigh. "We should just turn back already."

"Nope," Oliver said. "We've gone too far in already."

She gave an over exaggerated groan. "Oi, Swaine, you didn't eat all those candies, did you?"

"Chill out, I didn't." he threw Esther the bag of candies she had given him before. She put a couple in her mouth before offering one to Cassiopeia. "Want one, Pea?" Cassiopeia shook her head gently. "I'm good."

"Alright then."

"I'll take it, Mun!" Drippy shouted from Oliver's backpack. Esther rolled her eyes and threw it to him. Oliver suddenly stopped and Squinted into the distance. "Is that- "

"A light!" Esther finished.

"Well it's about time!" Swaine said triumphantly.

"What are you guys waiting for, c'mon!" Oliver began running to wards the Exit of the cave, followed by everyone else.

Tani was finishing up her hunt for the day. She had caught a few animals that she would swing by Tasty's Cookshop for Floyd to use in his food (Which she thought was the best in the world, by the way). She hauled them into her hunting backpack, pleased with her catch. She left her hunting camp, Passing through Aranella Square. She Was about to open the door to the cookshop, when something caught her eye. A group of people she'd never seen before, entered through the gate. They didn't look like they were from here. She decided It would be best to let King Evan know once she had seen Floyd. Her Brownish eyes glared at them and she turned around to get back to her Job. She pushed in the door, the bell ringing. "Oh, hello Tani! Did you catch anything good today?" Floyd said with a smile. "Sure did!" Tani replied and placed her bag on the counter. "Thank you very much, I can assure you these will be made into some delicious meals."

"That's what I like to hear!"

"You know the drill, come by tomorrow morning to collect your bag, right?"

"Absolutely!"

Floyd waved her goodbye as she closed the door behind her, and made her way up to the palace to see Evan.

Confusion was written all over Bracken Meadow's face as she tried to decipher how to attach the boosters to a pair of boots, a commission from Roland. She'd made countless incredible machines back in Broadleaf, yet she couldn't get her head around a pair of rocket boots. Ideas and figures were running through her mind when she noticed a speck of rust. She frowned, she didn't know any spells to clear it. She was pondering whether to leave it be or find something to remove it, her OCD decided it wanted it gone before she made up her mind. She didn't know any spells to fix it, and she didn't have any items either. She sighed, Realising she'd have to ask Evan or Li Li to teach her a spell. She didn't dislike either of them, Evan was a wonderful friend and Li Li was a lovely, sweet little girl. Bracken quickly neatened her tools and left her workshop to ask Li Li if she had any spells in mind. She dropped by Evermore Spellworks, and after finding she had left already, headed towards the palace to ask Evan.

"That's what I like to hear!"

"You know the drill, come by tomorrow morning to collect your bag, right?"

"Absolutely!"

Floyd waved her goodbye as she closed the door behind her, and made her way up to the palace to see Evan.

Confusion was written all over Bracken Meadow's face as she tried to decipher how to attach the boosters to a pair of boots, a commission from Roland. She'd made countless incredible machines back in Broadleaf, yet she couldn't get her head around a pair of rocket boots. Ideas and figures were running through her mind when she noticed a speck of rust. She frowned, she didn't know any spells to clear it. She was pondering whether to leave it be or find something to remove it, her OCD decided it wanted it gone before she made up her mind. She didn't know any spells to fix it, and she didn't have any items either. She sighed, Realising she'd have to ask Evan or Li Li to teach her a spell. She didn't dislike either of them, Evan was a wonderful friend and Li Li was a lovely, sweet little girl. Bracken quickly neatened her tools and left her workshop to ask Li Li if she had any spells in mind. She dropped by Evermore Spellworks, and after finding she had left already, headed towards the palace to ask Evan.

"Hey! Bracken!"

The pink haired engineer craned her neck around to see Tani Waving at her.

"Hey!" she waved back. Tani raced over to her.

"Where you headed?"

"The palace. I need a spell to remove rust, and I thought Evan might know one. You?"

"I'm actually headed there too. I saw a group of people here earlier...and I don't know... they just looked... different, I guess. I've never seen anyone like these guys before. There was a young boy...and a blonde girl...and a few others. I just thought I should report them to Evan in case they mean harm to Evermore."

"Is that so? Hmmm..."

The engineer and the sky pirate continued along their walk to the palace.

"Where...are we?" Esther said as she looked around, marvelling at the buildings and people that afternoon.

"I...I don't know." Cassiopeia said, just as astonished with everything as the blonde was. "This looks like another kingdom...But I've never seen it before. I've never seen anything like it, actually."

"You're right," Marcassin added, "Guys...We're not at home anymore."


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey! Evan!"

The half-gremalkin turned towards the female's voice. He gave a cheery smile "Hey, Tani!"

She spoke informally to him, as did he to her, but Evan never took it as a sign of disrespect and neither did Tani. The two had been friends since Evermore as nothing more than a few tents and sky pirates, they always greeted each other like this. "So, what brings you here this evening?" Evan asked, keeping his cheery smile.

"Well..." Tani replied, "Sorry to break the good vibe, but there's some outsiders in the kingdom. They look so strange, I've never seen anything like them. And...I'm not sure if they mean harm or not."

Evan's smile faded. "Well then...We better find out. They're probably harmless, so I think we should start by being friendly."

Tani rolled her eyes playfully. "That's so typical of you, Evan. Back in Cloudcoil Canyon, We'd throw them off a cliff! But you're the king, after all. And It can't hurt! Look how far we've come just by being nice!" she motioned at the beautiful throne room around her.

"Yeah...I guess you're right."

"Is this a bad time?"

Tani whipped her head around to find Li Li. The smile on Evan's face returned. "Oh, Hello Li Li!"

"I'm here to return the book I borrowed from you this morning. Thank you very much, it was helpful!"

"Just pop it over on the table." The blond motioned towards a small table in the corner. Li Li Padded over and placed the book that was almost as big as she was.

"Careful with that big old thing, girl!" It was Evermore's Engineer's voice this time.

"Hey, Bracken!" Li Li chimed and gave the pink haired woman a warm smile.

"Anything I can do for you?" Evan than asked.

"Yes," she replied. "However, I think the issue Tani picked up on might be a bigger problem."

"You're right. We should call out a search for them. Tani, you're in charge. Once you find them, bring them back here, but please, make sure they know that they won't be harmed."

"You got it." And so, the brunette turned on her heels to find these strangers.

The five travellers were speechless from everything there wad to see in Evermore. They had never seen merfolk or dogfolk in their life, since there were none in their world. (A/N: at least, as far as we know.) They got strange glances from the citizens, but they can't be to blame. After all, five strangers had stumbled into their kingdom dressed in a manner they weren't accustomed to. Aranella Square was full of people and stands selling just about anything you could imagine. Oliver's neck got slight Goosebumps. It brought back vivid memories from when he had first arrived in Ding Dong Dell. People had stared at him as if he was from another planet (which in their eyes, he was) and laughed at how he dressed, which was the normal back in Motorville. The party stopped and gazed in awe at the huge building in front of them: Evermore Palace. They were used to extravagant castles, but this was something special. Esther blinked a couple of times.

"Is that..."

"The palace. It must be." Oliver finished.

Marcassin swept a strand of hair out of his eyes. "That would mean this place is a- "

He was interrupted by a scream. He turned around faster than he knew he could, while Esther ran to Cassiopeia. and before he could think, he slammed the sky pirate against the wall, his hands around her neck. "If you touch her again, I'll- "

"C-Calm down!" Tani managed to choke out the words.

"I-I'm not t-t-trying to hurt her, I-I just need a-a-all of you t-to follow me. K-King Evan's orders."

Marcassin sighed and released the girl, who fell to her knees and coughed. He then Turned to Cassiopeia, who didn't look so good. She was on one knee, taking deep breaths. Tani had only grabbed her arm, but the shock and the action had surfaced memories she had been trying to forget for centuries. Suddenly, she was falling. She couldn't see anything. She couldn't hear. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe she couldn't-

"Cassiebear?"

And just like that, she was okay. As if he put her arms around her. As if he opened her eyes.

She could breathe.

"Casiebear, are you okay?" Marcassin reached out for her again.

She took a few seconds to snap back to reality. "Yes," she said finally, but didn't dare lift her gaze. His hand was interlocked with hers and Cassiopeia's cheeks were bright pink. She couldn't look up. She couldn't look up or she'd fall for him again. Marcassin went to let go of her hand, but she didn't want him to. She let him, but she didn't want him too. She pulled herself together and stood up. She took another deep breath. Esther whispered to her: "Darn, that was cute. You should get together." Cassiopeia gave her blond friend a playful nudge before Tani approached her. "I'm so sorry." The sky pirate girl said, "I just wanted your attention, I didn't know you'd react that way." Cassiopeia smiled, although Marcassin's eyes were on the stranger like cold ice. "It's okay," The White Witch replied, "It wasn't your fault."

"Didn't ya' say youer kingface wanted us?" Drippy changed the subject.

"Woah!" Tani said, "You look like Lofty!"

"Who now?"

"You'll see! And to answer your question, yes, our king wishes to see you lot. Don't worry, he means no harm! Evan's a great guy, we've been friends for ages. Follow me, I'll take you inside."

Oliver leaned over to Swaine. "Do you really think we can trust her?" he whispered.

"What choice do we have?" Swaine whispered back. We have no idea where we are, the locals think we're from another planet, so we have to trust them."

The five followed behind the girl, like ducklings following their mother.


	4. Chapter 4

For some reason, magic seemed to fill the air the moment they stepped into Evermore's palace. Oliver's party approached the throne, behind Tani, where King Evan was seated, and his closest friends next to him. Li Li was there anyway and decided to hang around. Bracken, Roland, Lofty, Leander, Batu and Evan kept eager eyes on the five. They stopped behind Tani, who gave a slight bow and moved off to the side with the others. There was a silence too long before Oliver spoke up.

"Your Majesty... uh..."

"Hello," Was all Evan said back, "Hello and welcome to Evermore."

Oliver tried his best to muster a smile, "H-Hello..."

Roland spoke up, all he wanted to do was get to the bottom of where these people came from and what they wanted. "Where are you from?"

"Not here," Swaine said flatly, which resulted in him getting a punch in the arm from Esther. "No sh*, Sherlock," she said ever so quietly under her breath.

"Forgive his rudeness, Your Majesty." Marcassin interrupted the bickering between Esther and his brother. "We're all from different places."

"You're not even from this continent, hey? Why did you come here?" Roland asked.

"We didn't exactly have a choice," It was Cassiopeia who answered this time, "We had nowhere else to go. Your kingdom was all we could find, but we've never even heard of it before, or seen some of the species that are living here..."

It suddenly clicked in Roland's mind. "So, it was almost like you..."

"Came from another world." Oliver finished.

"It makes sense..." Bracken said to herself.

"Do you know how you ended up here?" Leander asked, genuine curiosity laced his voice.

"We found a cave..." Esther started, "And we were walking through it for hours. When we exited it, we were here, and could see Evermore."

"Hmmm..." Leander pondered. "It seems like a gateway spell was opened in that cave, and you went through it."

"Oliver," Swaine said, "Doesn't that mean you can use gateway to get us home?"

"No, mun," Drippy interrupted. "they're two different gateway spells. If we want to get back to ouer world, we'll have to find a new gateway spell. God knows where we'll end up if we use the one Olie-Boy has!"

"So we have to go back through the cave?"

"Nah, I reckon the gate would have closed by now. You see, Gateway spells only stay open for a little bit. After a while, they close up."

Esther raised her voice. "So we're stuck here?!"

"Looks like it."

Evan processed everything he had heard. "Then we need to get you all home!"

"And how do yer suppose we do that?" Batu asked, arms crossed.

"We'll have to start research in the Spellworks, I'd imagine." Bracken replied.

"Yes, In the meantime, we will do our best to keep you safe and comfortable in our world." Evan said, Smiling.

Oliver returned the cat prince's smile. "Thank you. How long will it take to develop a new gateway spell?"

Evan frowned slightly. "I'm not sure. It could take weeks or even months."

The group all yelped slightly in shock. No, they couldn't be away from their home for that long. Marcassin had an empire to rule and Cassiopeia had an entire kingdom to rebuild. They prayed it wouldn't take that long.

"We have to get you lot somewhere to stay," Bracken said. She was concerned for these strangers, scared they'd never make it home again.

"Of course," Evan replied, "But you can't stay here In Evermore. Unfortunately, our inn burned down, and it's being rebuilt. But not to worry. There's other Kingdoms across the land, and I'm sure if we asked their rulers nicely, they could spare you guys some rooms until we find a way to get you home."

"We should talk about it first with them," Tani said, "We need to make sure they'll be happy while their staying there."

"Did you have a particular kingdom in mind, your majesty?" Marcassin inquired.

"Well... Hydropolis is nice." Evan answered.

"Are you sure?" Leander protested. "You're right, it is nice, but I don't think Hydropolis is a good idea. It's in the middle of the ocean, for one, and if I'm going to be honest, I don't think Nerea would be too keen on a group of strangers living in her kingdom. I know my wife, after all." He pushed up his glasses.

Tani thought for a moment. "What about Broadleaf?"

"I don't think so," Bracken started. "There's a lot of machinery and I fear this lot might get hurt seeing this world is all new to them."

"You've got a point. Oh, I know! We can send them to Goldpaw!" Evan said excitedly. "It's perfect! It's perfectly safe, and there's plenty to see and do. I'm sure the Grand High Roller wouldn't mind if we borrowed some rooms."

"Goldpaw..." Esther repeated to herself. "Sound's great!"

"Hey Evan..." Bracken pondered, "I don't suppose we could all stay with them? I've never been to Goldpaw and really want to get to know these guys, besides, don't you want to know what it's like in another world?"

"We'd be happy for you to stay with us, if you'd like!" Oliver said delightedly.

"I'm In," Roland said, "I need a holiday. And besides, we should stay with them to make sure

they're fitting in okay."

"That settles it then. You lot," Evan motioned to his friends, "Start packing. We'll head off the moment you're ready." Evan's party each gave a sign of "yes sir" and disappeared off to start packing.

"Uhm...Your Majesty?"

Evan turned to the small, shy voice. "Yes, Li Li?"

"Do you think I could come with you?" She said shyly. "I really want to visit my hometown."

"Well... I was going to have you work on finding a way for these guys to get home in the Spellworks, but you've been working really hard, too hard for a little girl like you. (A/N: The children are aged up, but Li Li is still a child, I wanted her to be like the baby of the group) So of course, you may come too."

Li Li clapped excitedly. "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you so much!" she said before hurrying off to start packing, just like the others.

Evan walked to Oliver. "Here," he said, and handed him a bag of guilders. "You'll need it. You guys are gonna need to get new clothes to change into, and Goldpaw's a great city. You and your friends should have fun. You deserve it."

"Jeepers, Thank you very much, Your Majesty! You've been so kind to us."

"Please, Call me Evan." He said, smiling. "It's the least I can do. You all seem like lovely people, I want you comfortable and home safe."

Oliver Bowed before Evan, As did his party.

The air was beautiful aboard the Zippelin. Everybody had been talking and introducing themselves since the ship had taken flight. Cassiopeia, Esther, Tani, Bracken, and Li Li had been having a great conversation, introducing each other and talking about their life in different worlds and kingdoms. Bracken and Esther were getting along especially well, they had the same scatterbrain sense of humour, but Cassiopeia and Li Li had sort of connected. Although she was very young, she acted with the maturity of a fully grown adult. They shared interest in the same kind of magic. "So, how old are you, Cassie?" Bracken asked. "Hard to say," Cassiopeia replied. "Around ten thousand, I think." Bracken, Tani and Li Li jumped in surprise. "Ten thousand...?" Bracken said to herself. Esther giggled. "Yep! She's immortal. Isn't that cool?" Li Li gasped in awe. "Sure is..."

"You certainly don't look it!" Tani said, which coaxed a giggle from all five girls.

"I guess I should say thank you to that?" Cassie replied. The girls started chuckling again.

"Good to see you girls are getting on well."

The girls turned to find Leander.

"Yes, I suppose it is." Esther said.

"I had female friends when I was a lot younger, and they fought like cats and dogs."

Bracken snort laughed slightly. "Yeah, a lot do." She said. "That's one thing about guys I'll never understand. It doesn't matter what you're like, if you're a guy, all other guys are immediately friends with you."

"That's not entirely true." Leander said with a chuckle. "But I would agree that on a whole, Guys get on better with each other than girls do. You looked like you were enjoying yourselves, I'll leave you too it then?"

"Alright," Tani said, "I'm sure you've got lots to talk about with the boys."

"I'm curious, yeah."

At last they landed just outside Goldpaw. They weren't even inside yet, and they were excited. From the outside, it was magnificent. Cassiopeia cold barley wait for Evan's party to get their stuff. It looked absolutely stunning. Esther was just excited as the green haired queen. "You ready?" Evan said, and they, alongside the rest of Oliver's party, set foot into the glamorous city of Goldpaw. There were bright lights, Casinos, golden statues and the delicious smell of Goldpaw herbs and dishes. There were people chatting and giggling to each other as the sound of dice being rolled on wooden tables mixed with all the other excitement. Everyone was excited, to say the least, but Esther and Cassiopeia were overwhelmed. All they wanted to do was run free in the flashy city, do everything there was to do, and taste everything there was to taste. But there would be time for that later, first, they had to get their rooms sorted. And after that they would all need a good sleep. There was tomorrow, but to the girls that seamed a million years away.

Because of Evan's service to Goldpaw In the past, Master Pugnatious (A/N: that's probably not how you spell it, but you know who I mean) had agreed to give them all rooms (two people per room) at the Dreaming Camomile Inn for as long as they needed for 300 guilders. Evan was extremely grateful that he had given them that deal. It would be way cheaper then paying for every night they spent, seeing as they didn't know how long it would take to form a new gateway spell. When they arrived at the Inn, They had to arrange who would share with who. After some discussion (and mild bickering) they decided that Esther would share with Cassiopeia, Marcassin with Swaine, Roland with Leander, Tani with Batu (father and daughter), Li Li with bracken and Oliver (and drippy) with Evan. After they were all settled, they either slept or talked to each other more. Esther had gone to Swaine's room (A/N: Nothing dirty, pervs), so Cassiopeia was alone. She had decided she would make herself some coffee. She would have preferred tea, but she needed caffeine. All great sages had caffeine addictions, but only because they needed coffee to keep their magic strong. In a way, they kind of _needed_

an addiction. She sipped it slightly, and cringed a little at the taste, but she needed it. She sat down on her bed (A/N: there are two beds in each room so the people sharing a room don't have to share a bed) and set down her Coffee before picking up a book that looked older than she was from the library. She was wearing an oversized white shirt, she had borrowed it from Tani for the night. She had shorts on underneath and a pair of socks. Her green hair was down, And slightly Messy. She was content. The peaceful quiet and a book on white magic. It was all she wanted. There was a quiet knock on her door. She got up to answer it and her cheeks flushed when she saw it was the youngest Porcine Prince. He looked like a little tired and his hair was the messiest she'd seen it. He had borrowed a sweater off someone (probably Roland), it was too big, mind you, and his left shoulder was exposed. She wasn't sure why, but she found it attractive. Not just the sweater, but his messy hair as well. He didn't look the slightest bit like a prince, or a sage, but that's what she liked about it. It was like he was just an ordinary boy and she was just an ordinary girl. "Hey Cassie," He said, rubbing one eye. "Hey Marc." Cassiopeia said back. "I got tired of Esther and my brother, is it okay if I stay here?" she smiled and let him in. "Sure. I would have done the same thing, if I were you." He giggled, and Cassiopeia's heart melted. It was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. She'd heard him laugh before but never like that. "Want a coffee?" She asked. Marcassin gave one of his rare smiles. "I've been needing one for a while, thank you." After Cassiopeia had made his coffee, she handed it to him, and their fingertips brushed together. She sat beside the prince on her bed, and she couldn't help but get lost in his gorgeous bluish-green eyes for a moment. He looked right back into her sapphire ones. Cassiopeia didn't mean too, and neither did Marcassin, but before they knew it, their lips were interlocked. Both the White Witch and the prince were flushed redder than a drop of blood on fresh snow. Cassiopeia was the first to speak.

"I-I'm sorry...I...I didn't-"

"Shhhh. It's okay, Cassiebear." Marcassin smiled warmly back at her.

She was content. The peaceful quiet, a book on white magic and Marcassin. _Now _it was all she wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi I definitely did not write this at 3am_

The golden hum of dawn's light danced over Esther's Blonde hair as her eyes fluttered open. She panicked, not knowing where she was, only to remember she had stayed with Swaine that night. She propped herself upwards slightly, realising she was restrained by the oldest Porcine Prince's arm. He was snoring gently and appeared to still be deep in slumber. As quietly as she could, she managed to wriggle out from under his arm, and she sat on the edge of the bed. The babana merchant looked around the small room. The tiny kitchen, the little bathroom and Swaine's pistol on the nightstand. The room itself was beautifully decorated. The red and golden wallpaper, lacquer wooden floors and the paper lanterns hanging outside on the small balcony. There were little trinkets of all sorts placed on shelves and tables. Esther noticed that Marcassin's bed was still neatly made. She came to the conclusion that he had either already woken up and left, or that he didn't come back last night and had slept somewhere else. Still being quiet as a mouse, she tiptoed to the smallest kitchen she'd ever seen and attempted to make breakfast of some kind, not bothering to do up the top button of Bracken's shirt that she borrowed. She managed to make some toast and eggs, two of each, one for her and one for Swaine. She knew he'd wake up when he smelled the food, and she was right.

"Esthercake..." he groaned, his voice hoarse

"You'll have to get up if you want breakfast. I'm not bringing it to you, you left that life behind years ago." She said, which coaxed an annoyed groan from Swaine. But he was obviously hungry, as he practically threw himself out of bed. (A/N: I wanted to say yeeted, but this is a serious fic). He almost crawled to the table (think a bar, the kitchen is on the other side). Esther placed his breakfast in front of him, and her own in the spot next to him. She took a seat, and said to Swaine, who had almost eaten half of it already, "Don't expect that every day I stay with you. I'm not your slave, or your mother, for that matter." She took a bite and swallowed before saying to the thief next to her, "If you choke, I'm not paying for your funeral." He only responded with a grunt, causing the sage's daughter to chuckle and roll her eyes. _How on earth, _she thought, _how in earth did I fall for him?_

(A/N: I'm bouta put angst) The morning had been going painfully slow for Marcassin and Cassiopeia. She had woken up that morning snuggled into his chest, his arms around her. Cassiopeia had decided that it had gotten cold last night, and as a natural reaction, they had snuggled each other for their body warmth. At least, that was what she wanted to believe. She had simply untangled his arms and slipped out. Marcassin had always been a deep sleeper, so it wasn't difficult. She probably could have slapped him across the face and he still wouldn't have woken up. The Queen swirled the tea – well, lets call it half-tea – around in her cup. It was tea, only she had put a shot of coffee into it. She looked down, refusing to gaze into The Porcine Prince's eyes. Neither of the two had talked much since their first kiss the night before. They

had snuggled each other for their body warmth. At least, that was what she wanted to believe. She had simply untangled his arms and slipped out. Marcassin had always been a deep sleeper, so it wasn't difficult. She probably could have slapped him across the face and he still wouldn't have woken up. The Queen swirled the tea – well, lets call it half-tea – around in her cup. It was tea, only she had put a shot of coffee into it. She looked down, refusing to gaze into The Porcine Prince's eyes. Neither of the two had talked much since their first kiss the night before. They were sitting across from each other at a table, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"Cassie..." Marcassin said, his voice almost as quiet as a mouse scampering through the streets of Ding Dong Dell. "Did...Did I do something wrong, Cassie?"

Cassiopeia immediately looked up and locked eyes with the prince. "No! No no, of course you didn't. I just... Last night. Made me remember... That someday, nobody will be left but me. My eternal life. It's not as great as it sounds...It's just centuries upon centuries of growing close and loving people, and then watching them die around you, knowing that there's nothing you can do about it" She was beginning to tear up, "...And knowing that you'll never be able to join them. And that's why... That's why I don't want to become too attached to you. That's why..." She broke her sentence, wanting to but not wanting to finish. Marcassin steadied his breathing. This was why she always seemed scared of something: because she was. It hit him before he felt it, but he realised. Why she'd never look him in the eye. Why she'd often avoid their skin making contact. She was scared. Scared of the day he'd leave her. Marcassin broke out of his thoughts, realising The White with was in tears. "H-Hey, Cassie!" He rushed over to her, cradling her in his arms. He wiped one of her tears away with a thumb. Pressing his forehead to hers, he whispered, "Shhh, Cassiebear, It's okay. It's okay, love." The tip of his nosed touched against hers. Cassiopeia's cheeks reddened, but she was calming down. The prince backed away from her, smiling gently. "You know..." The green haired sage started, "I haven't loved anyone for five thousand years. Guess what? You blew my streak." She gave him a playful push. Marcassin gave one of those giggles that just made Cassie want to kiss him. "I'm glad, Cassiebear," He said, smirking. Cassiopeia returned the smirk. "Come here, you little...~" She leaned in to kiss him, but he met her half way there.

"Holy triple decker jalapeno dude, I thought you were gay."

Marcassin pulled away from his new lover to find his brother at the door, with a sneering Esther behind him. The youngest prince's cheeks were redder than cherries. "Gascon, You- "He didn't finish the sentence. He just gave Swaine a firm put playful shove in the chest, causing them both, as well as Esther and Cassiopeia to laugh. "Tell anyone and you're both dead." He said. Esther was still cackling at the shock. "What do you think we are, Jerks?"

"You guys should get ready, We're all heading out on the city, it's your first day in Goldpaw, after all!"

Swaine and Esther turned to find Bracken behind them. Her short hair was in a side curly ponytail (you know, like them anime drills). She had on tight leather pants with a few rips here and there, and a simple off the shoulder top. "Hey Bracken, you think I can keep this shirt for today?"

The city was just as colourful and bright as they remembered the night before. Both Evan and Oliver's parties had all headed out and were split up in individual groups. All of Oliver's crew had bough clothes to change into, so they wouldn't have to borrow off the others all the time anymore. Swaine and Esther had just finished a lovely traditional Goldpaw dish from one of the restaurants. They were on their way to the Lucky Stars Casino to try out a few games, But Esther had found herself looking at a board on the wall of one building. There was a sign at the top that read "Missing People, If you know of their whereabouts, contact the High Roller immediately."

Esther looked at the array of people. However, she seemed to focus on one particular photo of a little Dogfolk girl. The name underneath her photo read "Shi Lynne". _Her poor mother, _Esther thought, _I can only imagine how upset, worried and distressed she is._

"Esthercake, C'mon." Swaine had grabbed onto the Blonde's hand and was pulling her along. She went with him, But he stopped when he got the door. "Hold on, I need a smoke." Swaine had always smoked, ever since Esther and Oliver had met him. He'd been trying to get Esther onto it since she was old enough, but she had always refused. Swaine motioned down an alleyway off the casino. She followed him down. She wasn't planning on smoking too, but she didn't want to be alone until he got back. Swaine Leaned against a wall and lit up his cigarette. "Cassie and my brother, how bout that?" Esther smiled. "I'll be teasing her about that later." Swaine went on about whatever it was, but Esther's eyes fixated on a pile of boxes on the other side of the ally from where they were. Without noticing, she slowly stepped towards it, slowly and quietly enough so that Swaine wouldn't hear or notice. As the sage's daughter got closer, she noticed a small hand. She got closer and closer, until she realised what she was looking at. There was a body of a young Dogfolk girl stashed behind the boxes. Esther gasped loudly and had to slap her hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Swaine dashed over, glanced at the body, and stumbled back, just as Esther had. "Holy hell..."

Esther was having trouble breathing.

"Esthercake, Calm down! You've seen bodies before, right?" Swaine grabbed the blonde's hand.

"I know, I know!" She said frantically. "This...this is Shi Lynne. I saw her...I saw her picture on the missing people board this morning."


	6. Chapter 6

The busy streets were crowded with dogfolk and the scents of herbs. Bracken Meadows had sat down at a small café with Cassiopeia. Li Li had been with them, but she went off to visit some relatives. The engineer and the queen had been talking about whatever they felt was interesting: Goldpaw, each other's worlds, and so on. For a moment it felt like nothing really mattered, like everything was normal. Just two silly little girls in a schoolyard pressuring each other to talk about their crushes.

Cassiopeia took a bite of her food. "What's it like in Broadleaf?"

Bracken scoffed. "It's like being born into hell and not being able to leave. At least, it was, but Zip cleaned up his act. It wasn't even his fault in the first place, really..."

"Who's Zip?"

"Oh, he's the president."

"You like him?"

"I mean... yeah, he's alright."

"Do you- "

The queen's words were cut off as Esther ran up to the two girls as fast as her legs could carry her. She tried to speak but no words came out, like her throat was dry or she had lost her voice. Then she tried to scream but nothing came out. The colour had drained from her face as it twisted into an expression of something in between horror and dread. "Esther," Bracken said, "Is everything okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." The blonde familiar tamer took a few minutes to pull herself together. Whenever she closed her eyes, all she could see was Shi Lynne's body, crammed behind those crates, eyes milky white and lifeless. All she could see was her family mourning and grieving.

"Esthercake! Don't just run off like that!"

Swaine caught up to the girl. He had clearly been chasing after her for a good while. The truth was, Esther hadn't known where she was running. She was just searching, searching for someone. Anyone. Silently screaming out for help.

"Slow down, both of you. What happened?" Cassiopeia said. It became apparent to her that Swaine was just as pale as Esther. The oldest Porcine prince choked on his words.

"We saw... T-There was... we found a body."

Cassiopeia felt the blood drain from her head. Bracken surprisingly didn't seem too alarmed. "Did you report it?" was all she said. "No, all thanks to dumb blonde over here." Swaine pointed towards Esther. "Me? What did I do?!" she yelled back.

"You ran off and I had to go after you, you moron!"

"Enough!" Bracken said, raising a hand. It wasn't a yell, but she spoke loud enough to grab the attention of the bickering thief and the babana merchant. Meanwhile, Cassiopeia hadn't moved an inch. She had a thousand questions about the body, but couldn't say anything. Male or female? How old? Cause of death? She supposed it didn't matter. Bracken on the other hand was looking more and more nervous. "We should probably- "

"Guys!"

The girls and Swaine all whipped their heads around to find the sky pirate's daughter. "There's... There's a body."

"Where was it?" Esther asked, the thought that it could be a different one to the one she and Swaine had found crept up her spine like a huntsman spider stalking its prey.

"It was near the library." Tani said, "Hidden in a corner just near the library."

The other four felt their hearts drop like a stone being thrown into a lake. Swaine, who was still looking undoubtably pale, was the first to speak. "B-But...Esther and I just found one...s-somewhere else..."

"What? Are you sure?" Tani almost yelled.

"I-I... I know what I saw." Esther replied, her voice just above a whisper.

Cassiopeia hadn't said a word or even moved. When she thought about it, she didn't want to know anything. She didn't want to see their lifeless eyes. The thought crept up on her, the thought that there might be a killer living amongst them in Goldpaw. The thought that it could possibly be her, white eyes, stab wounds in her back, thrown into a dark alleyway or a lake for the world and everyone around her to forget about. _No..._ She thought. _It's just a coincidence... I'm overreacting._

_I'm just overreacting._

"Where's Leander," Bracken asked, her voice was shaking slightly. "Leander will know what to do."

"Last I checked he was with Marcassin and Roland." Tani said. She knew she shouldn't be, but she was excited. She felt like she was on one of those murder mystery shows. Or perhaps a horror movie, where they were all just rats trapped in a maze known as Goldpaw, waiting to see who gets killed off first. "I think they were at Paper Moon. I's a diner just a few blocks past the Inn."

"I'll go." Bracken said almost immediately. Tani raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Your sense of direction is awful." Bracken had already started moving before she finished. "No it's not!" she protested. Tani facepalmed. "It's the other way, dipstick!" Bracken spun on her heel and began swiftly walking in the other direction. The sky pirate rolled her eyes.

_That girl's real smart. She's an engineer. She's got a good brain... but why, why does she never use it?_

After Bracken left the others, Cassiopeia excused herself and started wondering the streets without destination, looking around and searching out for Leander, Roland and Marcassin in case they weren't where Tani had seen them. Or more specifically, she was searching out for Marcassin. Saying she was scared was an understatement. She was god dammed petrified. She hadn't even seen either of the bodies, but she felt her blood was running cold. She almost had a heart attack when she felt a paw grab hold of her shoulder.

Spinning around in alarm, she sighed when she realised it was Li Li. "You scared me there, LiLiBlossom..." Cassie found it funny how they had only known each other for a day, yet they had nicknames already. "Where's the others?" The little dogfolk girl said. Cassiopeia swallowed. "They're...busy right now." She would mention the bodies to Li Li eventually, but she wasn't ready just yet. "You wouldn't happen to know where Marcassin is would you? I mean, him, Leander and Roland..." Li Li smiled. "I think I saw Leander and Roland heading inside the library. Marcassin wasn't with them." Cassiopeia went into internal panic. She knew it was another overreaction, but couldn't help the thought. _He's Dead. He's Dead. He's Dead. He's Dead. He's De-_

She felt a soft, warm hand grab hold of hers.

She turned, and was greeted with the Emperor's gentle face and fine features. She sighed in relief. "Thank the gods you're alright- "

"Why wouldn't I be?" the prince moved a strand of her green hair away from her eyes. She was silent for a moment. Li Li was still here, and Cassie didn't want her knowing about the bodies just yet. "Uhm...no reason..." She turned around. "Li Li, why don't you go and find Evan? He said he had something to show you." It was a white lie, but the young girl bought it. "Alright, take care, Cassie!" she said, turning and heading away. She then returned to Marcassin. "Your brother, Esther and Tani found two dead bodies earlier." She spat out. It was more direct than she would have liked, but she was too on edge to say anything else. The prince just blinked. "Wh...What?" Cassiopeia interlocked both her hands with his. "There's two dead bodies, Marc."

"Hey, Hey. Calm down, Cassiebear," He said. He spoke calmly, but she could tell he went into full panic. That's something the Emperor of Hamelin had always been good at: Hiding his feelings.

Cassiopeia took deep breaths. "Leander's in the library, Isn't he?"

Marcassin nodded. "I think so, yes." He could tell she was scared. She wouldn't tell him to his face, but he knew. "Look... It's okay. Cassie, its okay. I'll go with you to the Library if you want." She smiled at him. A real, genuine smile. Marcassin took hold of her hand and took a step forward, which she followed.

"C'mon, love."

It turns out Leander and Roland were in fact in the library. Cassiopeia and Marcassin had found them first, then Marcassin had gone out to gather everyone else (and had returned) while Leander had gone to define the cause of death, Swaine and Tani going with him to show him where the bodies were.

"You're probably wondering why we're all here." Roland started, "And it's to inform you that Tani, Esther and Swaine have found two dead bodies, right here in Goldpaw. Everyone who didn't already know, (Evan, Oliver, Li Li, Batu and Drippy) were frozen to the spot. Evan looked nervous "Perhaps we shouldn't have sent our new friends from another world to stay here...maybe having them stay in Evermore palace would be best..."

"No. It's fine. We'll be okay." Cassiopeia said, not knowing why. She was petrified at the thought that there could be a killer on the loose, but still, she wanted to stay. "Anyway," Roland continued, "Esther has managed to identify the body she and Swaine found. She believes it's the body of a dogfolk girl named Shi Lynne."

There was silence.

"Shi Lynne..." Li Li repeated, sadness lacing her voice. "It has to be a mistake. But then again, it seems likely..." She hung her head. Oliver looked to her. "What's wrong?"

"Shi Lynne." Li Li sobbed. "She...She's by childhood best friend. But...But she disappeared a few weeks ago. At least now I know. I know where she is."

Everybody standing in that room at that moment felt their hearts drop, but Esther's plummeted. Li Li had just found out she had lost a friend, a friend that Esther had found stashed behind some crates, cold and forgotten. "Li Li..." she began, a tear in her own eye, "Li Li... I'm so sorry."

At that very moment, Leander opened the door.

"The body Tani found belongs to Banjo, a young dogfolk man. I have come to the conclusion he was poisoned. And Shi Lynne...She was choked with a coil of rope, I found it underneath her."

Esther looked to Tani, and Tani looked to Esther. They were both whiter than snow and were both thinking exactly the same thing:

_We've got to do something about this._


End file.
